School Days
by lnvaderZlM
Summary: Gumball and Darwin (and Anais :o!) finally advance to eighth grade. New faces, new challenges, new friends...adventures are sure to follow.
1. A New Beginning

**A/N: Ehehe, just a fic I've been working on for a while. I dunno, I've always wanted to do a school life fic about them. It's mostly going to be from Gumball and Darwin's point of view, but it may go to other character's from time to time. I'm sort of hoping to make it episodic, like the show, but eh.**

**Also, I wasn't sure whether or not to split this into two chapters...It's about 6000 words. I may end up doing that later.**

"See ya, kids! Have a great first day!" Richard called out as he drove off. Gumball, Darwin, and Anais walked up the stairs to their school.

"_Siiigh…_" Gumball exhaled. "Another year…"

"Aw, c'mon! School isn't so bad! Think of all our friends! And _Penny…_" Darwin said, smiling.

Just then, the peanut girl walked by. "Hey, Darwin! Hey _Gumball_…" she said flirtatiously.

"_Hi Penny…_" Gumball's eyes turned into hearts; drool could be seen seeping out his mouth.

Penny noticed and giggled. "See you in class!" she said, walking off.

"_Ahhh…this year's gonna be great…_" Gumball said dreamily.

"Guys, hurry up! We gotta go get our schedules!" Anais called out, already at the doors. Due to her intelligence, she had been placed in eighth grade this year, skipping grades kindergarten through seven.

_"Guise, huwwy up we gotta go get ouw scheduwwes."_ Gumball said, mocking her sister. Darwin snickered. Suddenly, a book flew right over Gumball's head, leaving scorch marks. "Erm…coming sis!" he called out nervously.

And so began another school year…

* * *

"Let's see here…Watterson…ah, here you are, Anais!" Mr. Small said, handing her a schedule. "Have a great year!"

"Thanks!" Anais checked her schedule to make sure everything was correct.

_Period 1: Discrete Structures; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 2: Logic Design; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 3: Ordinary Differential Equations: Lucy Simian  
Period 4: Intro to Philosophy; Instructor: Francine Walters  
Period 5: Quantum Mechanics and Philosophy; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 6: Intro to Fine Arts; Instructor: Steve Small  
Period 7: Theology/World Religions; Instructor: Lucy Simian  
Homeroom: 8__th__ Grade; Instructor: Francine Walters_

Anais nodded. These were indeed the courses she signed up for. Gumball and Darwin were next in line.

"Hey, Mr. Small!" they said together.

"Hey, boys. Your schedules were right next to hers. Here you goooo-wait…" Mr. Small took a closer look at the papers in his hand.

_Period 1: Discrete Structures; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 2: Logic Design; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 3: Ordinary Differential Equations: Lucy Simian  
Period 4: Intro to Philosophy; Instructor: Francine Walters  
Period 5: Quantum Mechanics and Philosophy; Instructor: Doctor Professor  
Period 6: Intro to Fine Arts; Instructor: Steve Small  
Period 7: Theology/World Religions; Instructor: Lucy Simian  
Homeroom: 8__th__ Grade; Instructor: Francine Walters_

These were _very _advanced classes. He looked at the boys in front of him. Gumball was picking at his nose; Darwin had a glazed look in his eyes as a fly landed on his cheek. Without thinking, he slapped his hand as hard as he could at it, missing and slapping himself in the process.

"OW!" Darwin cried.

"Um…are you boys _sure _you want to take these classes?"

"Mmhmm!" Gumball nodded, reaching for the schedules. He handed Darwin his copy and they walked out the door.

"Um…dude?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah?"

"Our classes look a little…difficult…" he said slowly.

Gumball laughed. "Don't worry about it, dude. I've got everything figured out for this year," he said, puffing out his chest. They walked to their first class, _Homeroom._

* * *

Gumball and Darwin strode into their new homeroom, glad to finally be rid of Miss Simian. Carrie and Penny were chatting in one corner of the room; Anais was in the other.

"Sooo…I heard you've got a thing for Darwin?" Penny asked gingerly.

"He kissed me once. That's all." Carrie said, feigning apathy. Penny noticed.

"A-hah! You like him, don't you?"

"Shhh! Not so loud! That brat over there is his sister. Okay, so I sort of like him. So what?"

"So…I was thinking we could do a double date! Me and Gumball, you and Darwin!"

"…" Carrie was silent. Finally, she spoke. "Why do you need me to go with you?"

Penny sighed. "Because if I ask Gumball out, he's definitely going to bring Darwin along. Not that I don't like the fish – it's just…me and Gumball won't have time alone…"

Carrie looked like she was deep in thought.

"Shhh! Here they come now! Act natural!"

Gumball and Darwin walked over to Anais, completely oblivious to the conversation that just happened.

"Hey, sis, how's it going?"

Anais, on the other hand, heard the entire thing with her floppy bunny ears. She debated whether or not to tell the boys of Penny's and Carrie's conversation. She eventually decided against it.

"Hey, bro. I'm a little nervous…Everyone here's gonna be older than me!"

She was right. Who ever heard of a four year old in eighth grade?

"Ahhh don't worry, sis. I'm sure you'll make a ton of friends. Just be yourself!" Just then, Bobert walked in. "Take Bobert, for instance. He's some kind of super genius, like you! Hey Bobert!" he motioned for Bobert to come over. "This is my little sister, Anais."

Bobert looked at her. "The kindergarten is down that way." he said, walking off. Gumball grabbed his arm.

"No, dude. She's in _our _class! She's just really smart!"

"Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha that's funny, a baby in eighth grade? Or better yet, a genius in _your _family? Ha-Ha-Ha-Haaaaa…" Bobert shorted out from laughing too hard. Anais looked like she was going to cry.

"Uhhh…" Suddenly, Alan floated into the room. "Alan! He's a balloon! You love balloons, don't you?" Gumball grabbed Alan.

"Um, Gumball? No, don't!" he cried as he realized what he was doing. It was too late – Gumball tied him to Anais's wrist. Carmen walked in to see Alan tied to another girl.

"ALAN! How could you?" she cried out.

"Carmen! My love, it's not what it looks like!"

"Alan…I-I thought we had something special together…" She ran off crying.

"Carmen! Wait!" Alan tried to fly over to her, but he was still tied to Anais. "Ugh, dude, untie me!"

"I can't! It's too tight!" Gumball said, fumbling with the knot.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Darwin brandished a pair of scissors.

"Darwin! DARWIN, NO!"

A snipping was heard, followed by a loud, painful scream.

* * *

Gumball and Darwin hung their heads in shame. Alan and Bobert had to go to the school nurse for treatment, and their little sister was traumatized by the ordeal. They turned to look at her – she was still in the corner, only instead of just looking shy, she buried her face in the desk. Her ears were drooping heavily, a clear sign of sadness.

They were about to go over to her, but their homeroom teacher showed up. Everyone fell silent – she was a new teacher, so no one knew anything about her.

"Hello, class," she said with a silky voice and a slight British accent. "My name is Francine Walters. You may call me Mrs. Walters, Francine, or even Franny, I don't mind. I will be your homeroom teacher."

And what a teacher she was. She was a white rabbit with a tight fitting blue polka-dotted hood; it covered the back of her head and her ears. From afar, someone could mistake it for her actual ears. Her blonde bangs stuck out from under the hood and covered her forehead. She wore a sky-blue checkered vest with a matching skirt over a white top.

"A little about myself:" she continued. "I graduated from the University of London five years ago with a Master's in Education. I decided to go into teaching because I love interacting with children and watching them blossom into adults. Nothing makes me happier than witnessing a child exceed my expectations, as well as his or her own."

The class listened intently. This style of speaking was absolutely shocking for them, having had to put up with teachers like Miss Simian and Mr. Small.

As she finished her introduction, the class remained dead silent. She cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Well, now that I've told you about myself, I'd like for _you _to tell _me _about _yourselves_." she said. "Let's start with you, in the corner." She pointed to Penny. "Please tell me your name, and something interesting about yourself."

"Me? Oh, um…" Penny stood up and faced the class. "Hi, guys. My name's Penny. And I _love _cheerleading! Thank you!" she took a curtsy and sat down.

Mrs. Walters clapped. "I'm so jealous of you – I was always such a klutz, so I never even attempted cheerleading. I was always fascinated by the maneuvers they did, though. Okay, next."

Carrie turned and faced the class. "My name's Carrie. I'm a ghost." she said, quickly sitting back down.

Mrs. Walters waited for a bit, as if waiting for her to go on. When she didn't, she just nodded her head. "Interesting. I do hope you'll open up more to me as the year goes on. I can't help you unless you let me." she said. Carrie remained silent.

Tobias was next. "I'm Tobias, and I love sports, and working out, and…and…sports…" he started. "Oh, and I can do this!" He started changing colors.

The rest of the class introduced themselves, with Mrs. Walters inserting an occasional comment here and there. Then came Gumball's turn.

"I'm Gumball Watterson, and _I'm _getting straight A's this year!" he said confidently. The class laughed.

"Well, it's always nice to aim high. Good luck, Gumball!" the teacher responded encouragingly.

"Luck? I don't need luck!"

Mrs. Walters looked confused. Gumball just sat down and let Darwin take his turn.

"My name's Darwin, and I'm his pet fish!" he said, motioning towards Gumball.

Mrs. Walters gave him a look.

"It's a bit of a mystery. He just sprouted legs one day." Gumball explained. Mrs. Walters just nodded.

"I wish one of my pets would evolve like that. Most of my goldfish just dieeeee…ne! Dine! My goldfish dine at the dinner table with me, but they never talk…" she said hastily.

A few more students introduced themselves to her.

"My name's Leslie, and I'm a carnivore!"

"I'm Anton, and I've been eaten like, five times already…"

Anais was last, as she sat in the back corner.

"Why, hello there little one. Are you in the wrong class?"

Anais just went on with her introduction. "My name is Anais. I'm a four year old genius that skipped all the way to eighth grade." she said, putting her head back down.

Mrs. Walters showed a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! It's just…it's not often you see a four year old in eighth grade..."

Silence.

"Well, I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. Come see me if you need help!"

And with that, the bell rang, and introductions were officially over.

"Have a great first day, class! I'll see some of you around – I teach philosophy and eighth grade English!"

The students filed out of the room. Gumball and Darwin followed Anais; she was too tired and depressed to notice.

* * *

Anais shuffled into the room, with Gumball and Darwin trailing closely behind. She looked around – Bobert, the robot who laughed at her, was sitting in the front desk, right in front of the board. There were also two egg-shaped twin brothers (or maybe just really close friends?), a floating brain, and Gumball and Darwin.

_Wait…_ she thought.

"Gumball? Darwin? What're you guys doing here?!" she asked, checking to make sure this was the right room.

"Just here to learn about some dessert structures, like everyone else," he said with an air of dignity.

"It's _discrete _structures." Anais corrected him.

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"Do you even know what it's about?"

"Sure! It's, ah…um…"

"…How do you plan on passing this class?"

"Easy! You tutor me! We have the same blood, so by drinking yours, I'm sure I'll-"

He didn't get farther in the sentence – Anais slapped him with her textbook. "That's not happening."

"Well, you'll just have to tutor me, then."

"That's not happening, either."

"Fine. I'll just cheat off of your homework." Gumball said defiantly.

"And how well did that work out for you last time?"

Gumball thought back for a moment, remembering the time he wrote all the answers to the math test on Darwin's skin. Memories of the detention room…of the bomb guy…and especially of the pink bear popping that cupcake's cherry…all these scenes appeared in front of his eyes. Now, the pink bear has focused his attention on _him_. He thudded closer…and closer…and…

"NOOOO! Not my cherry!" Gumball screamed. Darwin looked similarly traumatized.

"DUDE! I'm not goin' to detention again! I'm outta here!" he yelled, white as a ghost.

"Wait! I'm sure this class won't be that hard! Just wait!" Gumball calmed him. Anais rolled her eyes and took a seat next to them.

Just then, the bell rang and the professor walked in.

"Good day, class. My name is _Doctor Professor_. You may call me doctor, professor, or, if you're really crazy, _Mr. Doctor Professor_." he introduced himself. The class laughed.

_This guy doesn't seem so bad…_ Gumball thought.

"Now…welcome to _Discrete Structures_! Today's lesson will be on something simple – counting. How many of you know how to count?"

Everyone raised their hand.

"Really? Are you sure?"

They nodded.

"Positive? You definitely know how to count?"

More nodding.

"See? This class is going to be cake!" Gumball whispered to Darwin. The teacher noticed this.

"You there! What's your name?" he called.

"Gumball Watterson."

"Okay, Mr. Watterson. Let's do a simple counting problem. Come up to the board, please."

Gumball swaggered up, feeling confident. After all, how hard could counting be?

He took his place in front of the chalkboard, chalk in hand, ready to answer whatever the teacher had in mind.

"Okay. Consider the following word: CAT. How many _distinct _ways are there to arrange its letters? Ready, set, go!"

_Easy! _Gumball thought.

He wrote all the arrangements on the chalkboard.

CAT  
CTA  
ACT  
ATC  
TAC  
TCA

"Six. There are six ways to arrange those letters." Gumball stated proudly. "Can I have my A now?"

The rest of the class laughed. Darwin, too, but only because everyone else was doing it.

"That was just a warm up. Are you ready for the next one?" the teacher asked.

"Bring it!"

"Okay. Now, consider the word MISSISSIPPI. How many _distinct _ways can you arrange its 11 letters?"

Gumball froze. He saw a lot of writing in his future.

"Oh, sorry. Ready, set, go! You can start writing now!"

"Er…um…let's see…"

He wrote down a few arrangements.

MISSISSIPPI  
MSSISISPPII  
PPSISISISMI  
SPPSMISSIII

He went on for about two minutes when the teacher stopped him.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now," the doctor said mercifully.

Gumball sighed. "So, how did I do?"

The teacher counted up how many arrangements he wrote down: 24.

"Pretty good, pretty good. Wanna know what the answer was? Did anyone here solve it?"

Bobert raised his hand.

"Yes? What's your name?"

"Bobert."

"So how many ways can the letters in the word MISSISSIPPI be arranged, Bobert?"

"39,916,800 ways." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Mmm. And how did you get that answer?"

"It's the permutation equation. It was just n!, with n being the number of objects to be arranged. In this case, it was the 11 letters."

Doctor Professor whistled. "So, nearly 40 million ways. Does everyone agree with this?"

Everyone raised their hand, except for Anais.

"You there. What's your name?"

"Anais." she responded dully.

"You look a little young to be in middle school."

"I skipped a few grades."

"Fair enough. So do you disagree with Bobert's answer?"

She nodded.

"Well, what do you think the answer is?"

"34,650."

Doctor Professor whistled again. "So 40 million, or 35 thousand. Those are two wildly different answers. One of them is right."

Bobert looked confident in his answer; Anais looked like she didn't care.

"Well, little girl, it seems they were right to advance you."

Whispers of Bobert being wrong spread throughout the class.

"Would you like to explain _how _you got your answer?"

"Well, _Bobert_," she said his name contemptuously. "Bobert was right in saying 11! was the total number of ways to arrange those letters. But you said _distinct _arrangements. Among those 11! ways, there were repetitions of the same arrangement. An example: MISSISSIPPI and MISSISSIPPI are both counted separately in his way. So to deal with this, I divided by the groups of repeated letters. Since there were four S's, four I's, and two P's, I divided 11! by 4!, 4!, and 2!, to get rid of the duplicate cases." Anais explained without blinking an eye. The rest of the smart kids just nodded. Bobert looked vengeful, but Anais ignored it.

Gumball and Darwin, on the other hand, had their mouths wide open.

As Gumball returned to his seat, Darwin whispered in his ear.

"Dude. We _have _to drop this class."

"I know." Gumball whispered back.

"AHHHHHHH!" the two of them ran screaming out the door, straight to the principal's office.

"Principal Brown! We made a _huge _mistake! We need to re-pick our classes!" Gumball shouted at his face.

"Boys! You should be in class right now! Come back at lunch or after school!" he said, ushering them out."

"But Principal Brown!"

"No buts! Back to class. **Now.**"

He slammed the door in their faces.

"Dude, what did you get us into?!" Darwin screamed.

"It's not my fault, I thought Anais could pull us through!"

"What're we gonna do?! What're we gonna do?!"

"Calm down, man. We just have to survive three more classes, then at lunch, we can switch out."

Darwin was hyperventilating. Gumball whacked him on the head.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"I don't know, isn't that how you calm people down?!"

"How would that calm me down?!"

"I-I don't know! It works in movies!"

"AHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!"

They took turns screaming. Suddenly, the bell rang, and their screams combined into one.

"**AHHHHHH!"**

* * *

Unfortunately, that bell didn't signify the end of first period. The schedule was a bit different for the first day. Thankfully, Doctor Professor didn't plan anything else for the day, so the rest of class was spent chatting.

"Okay, so let's take this class…and this class…oh, and definitely this class…" Gumball said, circling things on the registration form.

"Oooh! A swimming class!"

"Uh, dude, I can't swim, remember?"

Darwin looked sad.

Speaking of looking sad…

Gumball turned around. Anais was still depressed. Her head was down, ears still drooping…

"Hey, sis…y'all right?"

No answer.

"Come on, speak to your big bro…"

Still no answer.

"I know what'll cheer her up!" Darwin chimed in, brandishing a container of cookies. "Treats!"

Anais looked up. They _did _look delicious…

"C'mon, let's eat!" Darwin said, handing one to her.

"Mmm! These are great!" Anais said, her mouth full.

"Listen, Anais. Don't worry about fitting in. You're a great girl – cute, smart, funny. I'm sure eventually you'll find friends. Plus, I'll always be here for you!" Gumball said encouragingly.

"Me, too!" Darwin joined.

"So if you ever need anything, just call, and we'll come running!"

Anais's eyes glittered. She was so happy she had two great brothers, that she wanted to cry. "Thanks, guys…" They joined together in a group hug.

* * *

_Logic Design _was their next class, and it was even more confusing for Gumball and Darwin.

"01001001 01101110 01110100 01110010 01101111 01100100 01110101 01100011 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 01110011 01100101 01101100 01110110 01100101 01110011 00100001 (Introduce yourselves!)" the teacher said.

"01000001 01101110 01100001 01101001 01110011 00101110 (Anais.)"

"01000010 01101111 01100010 01100101 01110010 01110100 (Bobert.)"

Gumball and Darwin had no idea what was going on. So when the professor pointed at him, he had no idea what to say.

"Umm… 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110101 01100111 01101100 01111001? (You're ugly.)"

"01000001 01101101 00100000 01001001 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00111111 (Am I really?)"

"01011001 01100101 01110011 00101110? (Yes.)"

"…01000100 01100101 01110100 01100101 01101110 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00101110 (Detention.)"

Gumball actually understood what _that _meant, from the detention slip in his hand. One hour of after school detention.

He just sighed. "01010011 01110100 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110101 01100111 01101100 01111001 00101110… (Still ugly.)"

Three hours. Three hours of after school detention…

* * *

Their next class was _Differential Equations_. They already hated the sound of it.

"Well, well, well. That's one well for each of you Wattersons." Miss Simian said contemptuously, addressing the three Watterson kids. "I certainly hope you enjoy this class…"

Gumball and Darwin gulped. Anais looked undaunted. She didn't appreciate getting double crossed by her when she came to their house, so she was hoping for a chance to show her up.

"All right. This first question is for you, Gumball." She wrote an equation on the board.

y' = (y^2)sin(t)

"Find the general solution to this equation," she said sinisterly, then laughed. "Good luck…"

Gumball gulped again.

He went up to the board and started writing up a storm. Anais raised her eyebrow.

_Does he really know what he's doing? _she thought.

He wrote for about thirty seconds when Miss Simian stopped him.

"Watterson, what the _heck _are you doing?"

Gumball looked at what he was writing.

It was a clown face.

"Sit down."

He did.

"Okay, fish kid. Your turn."

Darwin remained seated, paralyzed by fear, his scales a ghostly white.

Miss Simian just laughed again. "Oh, I love my job. Okay, widdle girl. Your turn."

Anais jumped out of her chair and confidently walked up to the board.

"Aww, wittle baby gonna do math?"

She ignored her, cracked her knuckles, and got to work.

_dy/dt = (y^__2)__sin(t)  
dy = ((y^2)__sin(t))dt  
∫dy/(y^__2)__ = ∫sin(t)dt  
∫(1/(y^2)__)dy = ∫sin(t)dt  
(-1/y)+c = -cos(t)+c  
1/y = cos(t)+c  
y = 1/(cos(t)+c)_

"Done." she said confidently.

Miss Simian was utterly shocked. "That's…that's correct!"

"Whoo! Right on, sis!" Gumball high fived her. Anais happily returned it.

"Way to go, Anais!" one of the eggheads said.

"I say, you're quite remarkable!" the other one chimed in.

"A _genius _in the Watterson family? I…I need to sit down…"

It took Miss Simian a full ten minutes to recover from that beating. As soon as she did, she tried her best to trip Anais up. She battered her with questions, but Anais answered each of them easily. Finally, the bell rang.

"So six is the unstable solution, and three is the stable solution." Anais answered Miss Simian's last question as she headed out the door. Miss Simian just slumped in her chair defeated.

"You were great in there, sis!"

"Thanks, Gumball…"

"I almost wouldn't mind staying in that class, just to see you beat Miss Simian at her own game!"

Anais smiled. It wasn't often she was praised for her intelligence. No baby talk, no diapers, no looking down on her (figuratively, of course – she was still short). People were finally starting to take her seriously…

* * *

"Hello, and welcome to _Intro to Philosophy_. I recognize some of you from homeroom. For the rest of you, I am Francine Walters, and I will be your instructor. You may call me Francine, Mrs. Walters, or even Frannie, if you please. Now, I'd like each of you to introduce yourselves. Let's start with you, in the corner."

"My name's Brain," he started in a monotone voice. He was a literal brain, pink tissue and everything. He had no legs; he just hovered above the ground. "My friends call me _the _Brain, because do you see any other floating brains around here? Anyway, I transferred over from Elwood junior high."

"Nice to meet you, Brain."

Next was Bobert.

"Ah, I recognize you from my homeroom. Bobert, right?"

"Correct. I am Bobert. I am the smartest eighth grader at the school."

"Nuh uh!" Gumball said. "Anais here showed you up in dessert structures!"

"_Discrete structures,_" Anais whispered to him.

"I meant, discrete structures!" Gumball corrected himself.

Bobert narrowed his eyes at Anais, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Well, a little competition is healthy. Just…don't overdo it…"

The eggheads were next.

"I'm Frank."

"And I'm Beans!"

"Together we're…"

"Frank and Beans!"

"We love school…"

"Math is our favorite subject!"

"Tied with English, Social Studies, and Science!"

Mrs. Walters chuckled. "Very creative, you two."

"Thanks!" they said in unison.

Gumball was next.

"Ah, it's you. How's the quest for straight A's going?"

"Ehehe…well, it's going…"

"Well, come see me if you ever need any help. I'm off for the next two periods."

And finally, Anais.

"Well, well! You're looking happier."

Anais giggled. "Yeah, I'm starting to get used to it."

"Glad to hear it! Would you like to redo that dull introduction you gave me in homeroom?"

She nodded.

"My name's Anais. I'm a genius four year old that likes Daisy the Donkey! These are my two brothers; they're always there to help me, and they always _will _be there! At least, until they…switch…" A thought suddenly occurred to her. Mrs. Walters noticed.

"Well, please feel free to see _me _if you need any help, as well."

The rest of the class went pretty well. Mrs. Walters split the class into two discussion groups: one with Bobert, the Eggheads, and Brain, and the other with Gumball, Darwin, Anais, and herself.

It was hilarious watching Gumball humiliate himself; comforting to hear him praise her; and sweet when he reaffirmed his promise to look out for her.

She actually _enjoyed _having classes with Gumball and Darwin. Enjoyed it a lot, in fact. A plan started forming in her head…

* * *

The bell for lunch period rang.

"Well, that's all for today, class! Have a great rest of the first day!" Mrs. Walters excused them.

"Sooo you guys are going to Principal Brown to switch classes?" Anais asked. They nodded.

"We're probably not gonna have time to eat lunch, so you go on without us. And don't be shy! Talk to people!" Gumball continued encouraging her to make friends.

"Yup, okay! See you next period!"

"We're switching out, remember?"

"Oh-oh yeah. See ya at home, then!" She ran out the door in a hurry.

"C'mon, let's go!" Darwin called out. He took a step, but…

"OW!" he faceplanted hard. "Hey! Someone tied my shoelaces together!"

"So? Untie them."

"But if I do that, then I won't know how to tie them again!"

"…Wait, you don't know how to tie your shoes?"

He shook his head.

"Then…how do you put them on every day?"

"Anais ties them for me!"

Gumball looked at the clock. They had thirty more minutes of lunch. He sighed. "We don't have time for this. Just…take your shoes off!"

"But they're the only clothes I wear! If I take them off, I'll be naked!"

"So how're we supposed to get to Principal Brown's office?"

Darwin looked at him expectantly. He wanted a piggy back ride.

"No." Gumball stated flatly.

* * *

"Ow…Ow…Ow…Ow…" Darwin decided to just walk with his shoes tied together. Well, more of a shuffle, really. Every three steps, he tripped over himself, faceplanting again and again. It took an entire twenty minutes to get to the principal's office. When they finally got there, though…

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me…"

Leading to the principal's office was a _massive _line. Gumball approached one of the people waiting.

"Why's everyone lined up here?"

"Some girl's giving out free ice cream to everyone who goes to see Principal Brown."

"…Why?"

"I dunno. But free ice cream is free ice cream!" she walked in to get her scoop.

"_Ugh!_" Gumball and Darwin stood at the back of the line. When it was finally their turn, the bell rang.

"Sorry, boys, but we are now closed." Principal Brown said, shooing them away.

"But-we've been waiting forever!"

"No buts! Go to class!"

"Please!"

He slammed the door on them. "Aw, man…" Gumball said, kicking the ground.

Suddenly, Anais walked out of the office.

"Anais? What were _you _doing in there? And where'd you get the ice cream?"

"Oh, um…I just had to…um…oh! There was a girl giving out free ice cream! Would you like some?" she offered Gumball a cup.

Gumball sighed. "I guess. I'm gonna need it…now I gotta wait until after school to switch classes." he said glumly. "Unless…" an idea formed in his head.

"Why don't you just forget about switching?"

"Are you kidding? Those classes weren't meant for dorks like us. They were made for geniuses, like you!"

"You guys aren't dorks…" Anais said sadly.

"Well, maybe not dorks, but definitely idiots." Gumball corrected himself.

Darwin nodded in agreement.

"But…but…"

_But I need you…_ she said silently.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing. I should probably head to class…"

"All rightie! See ya! We're gonna pay Mrs. Walters a visit."

A look of determination flashed across Anais's eyes. She ran off.

"Uh…isn't her class the other way?" Darwin asked.

"It is…"

They still didn't think much of it. They began walking to Mrs. Walters's room.

"Ow…ow…ow…" Darwin's shoes were still tied together.

Gumball and Darwin barged into their homeroom teacher's room.

"Mrs. Walters! Mrs. Walters! We need your help!" Gumball screamed.

"Hello, boys, I've been expecting you. Come, have a seat."

They sat down in front of her.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?"

"We signed up for incredibly difficult classes…and now we want to switch out."

Mrs. Walters was silent for a while.

"Well…? How do we get out of those classes?" Darwin asked.

"Boys…I'm afraid you won't be able to." she said sadly.

"WHAT?! Why not?" A wave of dread washed over Gumball.

"Today's the only day to switch…and you boys have three hours of detention after school, so you won't be able to see the principal."

Oh yeah. Gumball had forgotten about that.

"So…we're trapped in those classes forever?"

"I'm afraid so…"

Gumball sighed. "Well, okay. Thanks for all your help…" He got up to leave.

"Hang on a second…how did you know we got detention?" Darwin asked suspiciously.

Gumball just noticed that, too.

"Oh, um…you know…word gets around pretty fast amongst us faculty members…ehehehe…" she smiled unconvincingly.

Gumball and Darwin stared at her; she stared back.

Gumball shrugged. "Well, okay then. See ya!" They left.

Moments later, the _real _Mrs. Walters walked in and saw her duplicate.

"Oh, dear. What is going _on _here?" she asked.

"Umm…uh, she paid me to do it!" Her duplicate shifted into a ball of clay – Clayton. He scurried out the door.

"I see. Anais? Anais, I know you're in here somewhere…"

She peeked out over the teacher's desk.

"Anais, would you like to tell me what this is all about?"

She sighed. "It's a long story…"

"I have time."

"All right…"

Anais told her everything, from her brothers copying her schedule, to their lame attempts to cheer her up, and finally, her realization that she _needed _them to be close to her.

"I need my brother close to me…so that's why he can't change classes." Anais finished.

Mrs. Walters nodded. "That's all very touching, Anais, but have you ever considered Gumball's feelings in this matter? The way you felt in homeroom…that's how he's going to feel every day in those classes. Because he doesn't belong there; he's going to struggle every day in there."

"But…I can help him! I'll tutor him every day!"

"Anais…can you really? That would be at least five hours every day, teaching him the material and helping him with the homework." Mrs. Walters started. "And even if you could, would he want to? Would he be willing to spend that much time every single day, working?"

Anais didn't have an answer to that.

"Do you really want to put him through this?"

"…no."

"Anais, part of going to school is growing up. And part of growing up is letting go of things. I know it's going to be hard, making friends in eighth grade when you're only four years old, but I _know _you can pull through. And Gumball, Darwin, and I will still be here to help if you need it."

Anais nodded.

"Now…go get the boys. I'll get the paperwork."

They both stepped out of the classroom. Anais went to the physics classroom. Mrs. Walters headed to the principal's office.

* * *

"Blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah." Doctor Professor lectured.

Gumball and Darwin had no idea what the was saying. So many big words…Quantum superposition, quarks, theoretical physics…Darwin's head was vibrating – it was gonna explode!

"Gumball? Darwin?" It was Anais, at the door, a slip of paper in her hands.

"Mrs. Walters needs to see you."

Gumball and Darwin sluggishly got out of their seats, drool coming out of their mouths, a glazed look in their eyes. They shuffled over to the door like zombies.

When they got out, they shook their faces vigorously, returning to normal.

"Ahh, much better. So, what's going on, sis?"

"Well, she found a way to switch your classes…"

"Really! Great, then what're we waiting for! Let's go!"

* * *

Mrs. Walters already had the paperwork set for them when they burst through the door.

"Hi! We're here to change classes?" Gumball asked.

"Why, certainly. Just fill out these forms."

Gumball and Darwin sat at a desk and picked their new classes.

"Okay, now all you have to do is sign here, and it'll be official!"

Gumball moved his pen to the X, but hesitated.

"Are you gonna be okay without us, sis?"

Anais was silent.

"Uh, sis?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'll be all right. Don't worry about me!"

"You sure? If you want, I can tough it out so I can be with you."

Anais was about to tell him yes, that she wanted him to stay. Her heart was filled with happiness; the words were right at her lips. But then…images of her brother slaving away at homework, studying every night and being miserable all day…those images flowed into her head, one after another.

"…I'm sure. I'll be fine. Go! Switch!" she said, forcing a smile, holding back tears.

"Well, all right!" he signed his name.

"_Gumball Tristopher Watterson?_ What kind of name is _Tristopher?"_ Mrs. Walters asked, amused.

"My dad misheard my mom. She said 'Christopher', but he heard 'Tristopher'…" Gumball explained.

"I see…"

"So…we don't have to go back to class, right?" Darwin asked. He shuddered at the thought of learning more "theoretical physics".

"Well, I suppose not, since you're not going to be in that class anymore."

"So we can hang out where with you?"

"Ahhh…sure, why not. I don't have any more classes today, anyway."

"Yay!" the three of them cried out in unison.

"You, however," she pointed at Anais. "You should probably get back to class."

"Oh, c'mon, can't I hang out here, with you guys?" Anais pleaded. She put on the cutest face she could muster.

"…Oh, all right. Just don't make a habit of this, okay?"

Anais smiled and nodded.

And so they sat in Mrs. Walters's office and talked, about life, about school, about personal stuff.

"No way! You used to be an actress?" Anais asked her teacher.

"Sure did. They were probably movies you've never heard of, though."

"Gimme some titles! Give us some titles!" Darwin begged.

She laughed. "Okay. Let's see…I'll only give you the G-rated ones. There was 'GoodBye Bu', 'Ponies University', 'Love thy Neighbor', and…yeah, those are all the kid-friendly ones."

"Did you do a lot of adult movies?" Gumball asked.

"_That's _a secret," she said mysteriously.

The final bell rung – it was time for the final class, second homeroom.

"Okay, take a seat, guys."

They sat together, in the front of the room. Soon, the other kids began shuffling in.

"Hey, Gumball, Darwin! Where were you guys? I didn't see you in any of my classes." Tobias greeted them.

"Ehehe…funny story…"

While Gumball and Darwin chatted away with their friends, Anais sat awkwardly on the side. Feeling insecure, she put her head down.

"Hey!" some called out behind her. She ignored it, thinking it was for someone else.

"Hey!" now the voice was poking her. She looked back – some kind of ice cream cone girl was talking to her.

"Hi! My name's Sarah. I'm new to this school, too. I hope we can be friends!" she said shyly.

Anais looked at her funny.

"…Is something wrong?"

"N-no no, it's just…you know I'm four years old, right?"

She nodded.

"And you still want to be my friend?"

"Sure! I figured, you might have the same interests as me. I still play with dolls and stuff…I'm scared the others will laugh at me…"

Anais glowed. "Sure! I'll be your friend! Maybe you can come over and play sometime!"

"Sounds great!"

Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place.

"So? Are you gonna come with me to ask them out?" Penny asked Carrie.

"…I need more time to think about it, okay?"

"What else is there to think about? You like Darwin, that much is clear…"

"By 'think', I meant 'build up the courage to do it'…" she clarified.

"Don't worry – you're an awesome girl! Cute, funny (in a dark sort of way…), and smart!"

"…"

"Well?"

"…Tomorrow. We'll do it tomorrow…"

Penny sighed. She had wanted to do it today, but she needed Carrie. "Okay, I guess…"

Mrs. Walters walked to the front of the room and cleared her throat to get their attention. The conversations slowly died down. When it was silent, she began.

"Well, class…how was your first day?"

Fifteen mouths went off on her. She raised her hands to quiet them.

"All right, all right, one at a time. Let's start with you. Banana Joe, was it?"

"Yep! Today was hilarious. I nearly 'split' myself laughing, get it? Split? Ahahahaha!"

Mrs. Walters chuckled. "Clever," she said.

Jamie was next.

"Me and Tina went around hazing the sixth graders. We stuffed em in trash cans, lockers, and even toilets! It was hilarious!" Jamie said, laughing.

"Now, Jamie. You know bullying is wrong, right? I expect you to write each of those sixth graders an apology. I'll be collecting it on Wednesday."

Jamie sighed. "Fine…" she said, fully intending to not do it.

"Okay, mister Straight A's. How was your day?"

"Oh, y'know…same stuff, different day…" was all he said to describe the crazy day he had.

Mrs. Walters laughed. "And how about you, Darwin?"

He just shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."

"And you, Anais?"

"Well…today, I learned a lot," she started. "Not just academics, but life lessons, like growing up, and letting go of things. Before today, my big bro has always been looking out for me, taking care of me. I tried to trick him into holding my hand for the entire year, but after chatting with a certain someone, I learned that to force him to be miserable just so I can be happy would be unfair to him. I realize that there are some things in life I have to do without his help…but I also realize that his hand will still be there for me to grab when I most need it. So thank you, Mrs. Walters, for a great day." She took a curtsy as she finished.

"Awwwh, that's so sweet…" Penny said.

"You go, little girl!" Molly cheered.

Other students clapped for her, causing her to blush.

"I'm proud of you, Anais." Mrs. Walters gushed.

The bell rang. Everyone filed out the door.

"See you tomorrow!" Mrs. Walters called out.

The three kids walked over to their father's car.

"Hey, kids! How was school?"

"Good."

"Okay, I guess."

"Great!"

"Glad to hear it!" Richard said, starting the car.

"Oh, by the way, sis…what was all that about tricking me into holding your hand the entire year?" Gumball asked, confused.

"Oh, _nothing_." Anais replied with a shy smile.

"Well…okay then."

* * *

Elsewhere…

Bobert's eye was red from anger. How dare that little girl show him up in class! And it wasn't the first time, either. He remembered how she had overpowered him in the library, when he was with the reject club…

"You have humiliated me for the last time, Anais…" he said, installing updates for his weapons and targeting systems.

"Tomorrow…_I get my revenge…_"


	2. Phantom(s) of the Quiz Bowl

The next day, at school…

"Ah, hello, boys. Where's your sister?" Mrs. Walters greeted Gumball and Darwin as they walked into her classroom.

"Good morning, Mrs. Walters!" they said politely.

"Anais had to go to her locker first." Gumball explained.

"Oh, well, it's you two I wanted to see, anyway. These are your new schedules. I look forward to seeing you in class!" she said, handing them their schedules and returning to her desk.

The boys pored over their schedules.

_Period 1: World History; Instructor: Francine Walters  
Period 2: Chemistry; Instructor: Lucy Simian  
Period 3: Algebra; Instructor: Steve Small  
Period 4: Intro to Philosophy; Instructor: Francine Walters  
Period 5: Physical Education; Instructor: Nicole Watterson  
Period 6: Graphic Design; Instructor: Lucy Simian  
Period 7: Free Study; Instructor: Francine Walters  
Homeroom: 8__th__ Grade; Instructor: Francine Walters_

"Umm, Mrs. Walters? These aren't the classes we picked…"

"No, no they aren't. _You _picked free study for every period."

"Well yeah, I study best when I don't have anything to study for!"

"Think about what you just said…"

"…aw, man."

Gumball grumpily walked over to his seat.

Penny and Carrie walked in next. Penny eyed Gumball, then looked at Carrie expectantly.

"_After school._" she whispered.

Penny sighed and sat down.

As the bell rang, the last few students hurried in through the door. Mrs. Walters waited until everyone had arrived before making the daily announcements.

"Good morning, everyone. I-" she started.

"Good morning, Mrs. Walters!" the kids said in unison.

Mrs. Walters chuckled. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, I'm sure you're all aware of the annual quiz bowl for eighth graders?"

Gumball grinned. He looked at his classmates, particularly Bobert, Anais, and Carmen. His homeroom had the smartest kids in school – there was no way they'd lose!

"Well, it will be held at lunchtime at the cafeteria. Be sure to attend!"

Gumball raised his hand. "What's the prize gonna be this year?" he asked.

"It's a surprise, is all the paper says. How exciting!"

_How exciting indeed, _Gumball thought. He couldn't wait to win.

Darwin raised his hand next. "I can't remember, how does the competition go?"

"Well, teams are comprised of your classmates in homeroom. We're splitting the competition into three categories: _Science_ and _Math_, _Literature _and _History_, and _Health_ and _Sports_. We have fifteen students in this class, so there will be five people in each team, assuming everyone shows up. And…that's the gist of it. The most important rule, though, is to have fun!" she explained. "Any other questions?"

Silence.

"Well, there's still five minutes left of homeroom, so just hang out until the bell rings, okay?" she said, returning to her desk.

"Hey, sis!" Gumball called. "You ready for the quiz bowl?"

"Oh, I'm not gonna participate."

"What?! Why not?"

"I can't go out in front of all those people! I'd lose my mind!"

"But…but!"

"What's it matter to you, anyway?"

"We need to win! Aren't you curious about what the prize is gonna be?"

"Not really."

Gumball didn't know what to say. It didn't matter – the bell rang before he could think of something.

"Oh well, see ya, bro!" she said, running off to her next class.

Gumball was still speechless.

"Can you believe her!?" he screamed at Darwin.

"What? It's just a game."

"Uh, _no._ It's a game _with prizes_!"

Darwin thought for a second. His eyes suddenly widened. _"I want a prize…_" he said hungrily.

"_Then you know what we must do…_"

* * *

"Hello, class, and welcome back to _World History_. Today, we have two new students joining us. Gumball, Darwin, if you would be so kind as to introduce yourselves…" Mrs. Walters stepped aside to let the two boys walk up. They didn't. "Um, boys?"

The two of them were whispering to each other.

"_So we're gonna do this…and this…and especially this, and by then, she'll have no choice but to participate!"_

_"Dude, you're not making any sense. What is 'this, and this, and especially this'?"_

_"Okay, so I don't have a plan yet. But I don't see you coming up with anything!"_

"Gumball? Darwin?"

"Ah! Uh, yeah?"

"Would you like to introduce yourselves to the rest of the class?"

"Sure. Hey guys, I'm Gumball, and this is Darwin." He sat back down and resumed plotting with his fishy friend.

Mrs. Walters shrugged and went on with her lecture.

* * *

It took all four morning periods, but Gumball and Darwin finally came up with a way to trick Anais into entering the competition. Fortunately, the period they had before lunch was _Intro to Philosophy_, which Anais was in.

"Thus, Descartes concludes with his famous line, '_I think, therefore, I am_', asserting that in order for his senses to deceive him, or for him to be dreaming, or even for a demon to manipulate him, he must first exist to be a target for such deception." Mrs. Walters finished her lecture as the bell rang. "Remember to read his next meditations for tomorrow!"

Gumball and Darwin caught Anais at the door.

"Hey, sis! Mind coming with us for a sec?"

"Why?"

"We've got a uh…a surprise for you!"

"I'm not entering the quiz bowl."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Just come on!"

Anais sighed. "Fine."

They lead her to the cafeteria, blindfolded.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost…and…now!" He tore off the blindfold.

Anais's eyes glittered. "A pony! Wait...do I have to enter the quiz bowl to win it? Because if that's what this is about, then…"

"What? No! The pony's yours. Don't worry about it!" Gumball said, laughing off the accusation.

"Well…okay!" she said, jumping on the pony.

"Oh, here, you have to sign this form. It's, uh…the ownership document!"

"Okay!" before she read the title of the form, she signed it. When she realized what she had done… "Wait…quiz bowl sign ups?!"

"Yup! You're officially on the team!"

The pony melted away to reveal Clayton. "Uh…they paid me to do it!" He scurried away again.

"Gumball!" Anais yelled, a look of pure rage on her face. She really did take after their mother.

"Uh…calm down, sis! It won't be that bad…"

Suddenly, Mrs. Walters turned the corner. "I heard screaming, is everything all right?" she asked. "Oh, hello, kids. Have you signed up for the quiz bowl, yet?"

"Yup! All three of us!" Gumball replied.

"They tricked me! They tricked me into signing it!"

"Tricked you? Why don't you want to participate?"

"Because…there's too many people watching…"

"I can take your name off, but think hard about this, Anais. This would be a great experience for you, speaking in public."

Anais wasted no time responding. "No! Take my name off!"

"Wait, sis! This'll be fun! You love quiz shows! You watch 'Who Dares to be a Millionaire' every night!"

"Your brother's got a point, Anais. Fun is fun."

"Answering questions behind the safety of a TV screen is way different than being watched by millions!"

"Well, all right then. You don't have to if you don't want to." Mrs. Walters said as she raised her eraser.

"Wait! Come on, sis! I'll be right next to you the entire time! Come on…do it for your big bro?"

"And for yourself." Mrs. Walters added.

"And for the rest of the class!" Darwin added on top of that.

They looked at Anais, smiling encouragingly and supportively.

"…fine."

"YES!" Gumball and Darwin slapped hands. Mrs. Walters smiled and walked away.

"You guys will go up first, for the Math and Science portion. It begins in five minutes."

"Woohoo! C'mon, sis! Let's show 'em what the Wattersons are made of!"

They made their way up to the stage and took their seats between Molly and Banana Joe.

* * *

Nearby…

Bobert was putting the finishing touches on his plan for revenge. He looked over his plan one more time…he nodded, satisfied.

_After all_, he thought to himself. _This plan was made by me, so of course it'd be perfect._

He let out a robotic laugh as he inserted the voice clips into the speakers…

* * *

"Hey, everyone! Welcome to the 52nd annual Elmore Junior High Quiz Bowl! I'm Rocky Robinson, and I'll be your host!"

Applause.

"I've been hosting this show for the past twelve years, and let me tell you, these kids are getting smarter and smarter! I probably couldn't answer half of these questions!"

A few chuckles from the crowd.

"Anyway, without further ado, let's begin the Math and Science round! Teams, please take your places!"

Gumball, Darwin, Anais, Molly, and Banana Joe took their spots.

"I say, good luck out there, fellow pursuiters of trivial knowledge!" one of the eggheads – Frank? – called out.

"Thanks! You too!" Darwin called back.

"Hmph. They don't stand a chance." Gumball said to himself, glancing at Anais.

"First question: " Miss Simian announced. "This psychologist became famous for inventing the 'operant conditioning chamber', which has since been nicknamed after him."

Anais's buzzer sounded.

"B. F. Skinner!" she answered confidently. But…

"Daisy the Donkey!" was what was heard on the speakers around the room.

The crowd erupted into a mixture of laughter and "aww, how cute!".

Miss Simian was not amused. "No, 'Daisy the Donkey' is incorrect." she said with as much contempt as she could fit in.

"_What?_" Anais said quietly.

Frank's buzzer sounded.

"B. F. Skinner!" he answered.

"Correct! One point for _my _homeroom." she said as the display incremented the score. "My homeroom's winning, losers!" she called out to the Wattersons.

Anais looked more determined than ever to win.

"Next question: add the following hexadecimal numbers together: 2F+13." she asked.

Anais sounded her buzzer off again.

She thought for a moment.

_(2 * 16) + (13 * 1) + (1 * 16) + (3 * 1)…that's 64!_

"64!" she answered. But again, the speakers said something different.

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G!" the speakers said, copying her voice.

More laughter from the crowd. "What's a four year old doing in a middle school quiz bowl?" Anais heard someone ask. The question pierced her heart like a spear. Tears started forming in her eyes.

Gumball leaned over to her. "Sis, you okay? Those answers…were sort of off…"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh…um, don't worry about it!" he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Just take a deep breath…come on, breathe with me. Inhale…and exhale…Inhale…and exhale…"

Anais did as she was told. Thankfully, the tears stopped dead in their tracks. To cry in front of all those people would have been horrible.

"Thanks, bro."

"So everything all right? You're not yourself right now…is it the pressure?"

"No! I'm not sure how or why, but someone or something is twisting up my answers. Like, the answer to that last question was 64…"

Gumball suddenly noticed that no one had answered the question yet. He sounded off his buzzer.

"64!" he answered.

"C-correct!" Miss Simian said, surprised, as the counter for Mrs. Walters' homeroom incremented.

"Woohoo! Way to go, Anais!" Gumball said, high fiving her.

"Look, I'll tell you the answers, you just hit your buzzer and repeat what I say, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Find the limit as x approaches infinity of (1-x^2)/(lnx)."

"_0._" Anais whispered to Gumball. Gumball sounded his buzzer and repeated this.

"Correct!"

"How many distinct ways can you get two pairs in poker (without a full house)?"

"_247,104 ways._"

"247,104 ways!" Gumball answered as he pressed his buzzer.

"Correct!"

Anais continued to tell Gumball the answers to each question for the rest of the round. Unfortunately, because of the delay, the Eggheads scored most of the easier questions.

In the end, the score stood 14-10, in favor of Miss Simian's class.

"Loooooosers!" she called out to Gumball, Darwin, and Anais as they walked off the stage.

"What happened back there, sis? Why couldn't you use your buzzer?"

"I…don't know…the voice that came out of the speaker wasn't me…"

"So…looks like you're not so smart after all." Bobert said, sneeringly.

Anais's expression turned dour. She didn't even dignify him with a response.

Gumball, however, had a flash of intelligence.

Maybe it was because it had happened to him before, or maybe it was because it was his sister he was messing with, but Gumball put two and two together.

He pressed the "play" button on Bobert's recorder.

"Daisy the Donkey!" was the sound that played.

Anais looked for the source of the sound, then realized what had happened. "Bobert! I should've known…"

"Yes, it was me. But it's too late – everyone knows you're a baby now."

"Why do you hate me…?"

"Because you humiliated me in math class yesterday."

"I didn't mean to! I was just answering the question!"

"_I'm _the genius of Elmore Junior High. No one is allowed to be smarter than me."

Bobert laughed the laugh of a maniacal robot as he walked away. Anais just watched.

"Yikes. Someone's got issues." Gumball stated flatly. "You all right, sis?"

"Oh yeah. I'm gonna be fine." she replied, but she looked mischievous, as though she had just done something she shouldn't have.

The next round was Health and Sports, hosted by principal Brown. Unfortunately, Carmen didn't bring in the points like Gumball expected her to. She was too busy flirting with Alan…

"Your lips are sweeter than chocolate ice cream, Alan…"

"Your smile is brighter than a thousand suns, Carmen…"

Meanwhile, Teri, who was on the other team, was answering questions like mad.

"What is the colloquial name for the disease known as nasopharyngitis?"

Teri's buzzer sounded. "The common cold!"

"Correct! What sport is played on horseback with mallets and a small ball?"

Teri's buzzer sounded again. "Polo!"

"Correct!"

"Gah! What is she doing?!" Gumball said, referring to Carmen. He threw a rock at Alan to pop him. "There, now there's no distractions."

"ALAN!"

Unfortunately, she spent the rest of the round crying instead of answering questions.

In the end, the score stood 20-4, again in favor of Miss Simian's class. The total score was 34-14; in order for Mrs. Walters's homeroom to even _tie _with Miss Simian's, they had to answer 22 of the 24 questions in _Literature _and _History._ Fortunately, Bobert was on the team.

"Go get'em, Bobert!" Gumball whispered encouragingly, seemingly forgetting what he had just done to his sister.

Anais just smiled impishly. "Don't blow a fuse."

Bobert ignored her and took his place on the stage.

Mrs. Walters, being the main literature teacher, hosted this round.

"Let's begin, shall we? First question: what does the 'A' in _The Scarlet Letter _stand for?"

Bobert's buzzer sounded. He was about to answer, but something overcame him.

"01000100 01100001 01101001 01110011 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000100 01101111 01101110 01101011 01100101 01111001 00100001" he stuttered. When he finished, he looked confused.

"Ehm…no, I'm sorry, that's not correct."

Beans, the other Egghead, sounded his buzzer next.

"Adultery!"

"Correct! Next question: who wrote _The Great Gatsby_?"

Bobert sounded his buzzer again. "01000100 01100001 01101001 01110011 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000100 01101111 01101110 01101011 01100101 01111001 00100001…" he repeated this line of binary over and over. At about the twelfth iteration, he stopped suddenly, saying "Stack…Overflow…Error…" as he shut down.

"Oh, dear…"

Beans sounded his buzzer again. "F. Scott Fitzgerald!"

"Correct!...Um, Bobert, are you all right?" she asked. "Someone call the nurse!"

"No! Don't call the nurse, call a _mechanic, _for cryin' out loud!" the nurse shouted from the audience. Bobert was hauled off stage.

"Well, um…can anyone take Bobert's place?"

Anais jumped up. "I will!"

The crowd laughed. "The baby's gonna try again!" someone yelled. Anais just showed a look of determination. Mrs. Walters smiled.

"Okay, then. Complete this quote: 'The best laid plans of men and mice…'"

Anais sounded her buzzer. "Often go awry!" she answered.

"Correct!"

Anais was able to answer all 22 questions, ending the round with a score of 22-2. Meaning the overall score was…36-36. A tie.

"Looks like we've got a tie, folks! Time for the tie-breaker! Each team, send up one person!"

Mrs. Walters's team sent Anais; Miss Simian's team sent Frank.

"Good luck, Anais!" he said.

"You too!" she replied in good spirit.

"Now, for the game…who starred as Gerry Lane in the summer blockbuster, 'World War Z'?"

The two of them remained silent. Neither was a fan of mainstream movies – Frank was a nerd, and even though he read the book, he never watched the film. Anais, on the other hand, was far too young. Her mother would never let her see such a violent movie.

Gumball was screaming inside. _C'mon, this is an easy one! It was Brad Pittbull!_

He could feel the rest of the crowd sharing his sentiments.

Frank's buzzer sounded first. "Um…was it Shia LaBuffalo?" he asked awkwardly.

The crowd groaned.

"I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Anais? Do you have an answer?"

Anais thought long and hard. She didn't know very many actors.

_Who was that actor mom liked? Matt Diamon? No…it was…_

"Uh, Brad Pittbull?" she asked.

Confetti fell from above her. The crowd cheered – especially Gumball.

"That's correct! Congratulations, Anais, you've won the game for your team! (And me!)"

Anais smiled sheepishly. Gumball and Darwin ran up the stage and held her up; the rest of the class followed.

"Anais! Anais!" Darwin chanted. Everyone joined in, even the students in Miss Simian's class. Soon, the cafeteria was filled with the chanting of her name.

* * *

The prize turned out to be a pizza party. The students in Mrs. Walters's class met up during her off periods to eat, drink, and socialize.

"You were great out there, Anais!"

"You're so smart…"

"And cute, too!"

Everyone complimented Anais on her stunning performance at the quiz bowl.

"Thanks!" she responded, blushing.

The whirring of machinery could be heard – Bobert had just woken up.

"00010100…oh…what happened?"

Anais toyed with the idea of telling him how badly he got owned, but…

"You were great out there! After missing the first two questions, you answered the next 23 and won us the game!"

Tobias looked as though he were about to correct her, but Gumball signaled for him to play along.

"Um…yeah, dude! You totally dominated the other team!"

"You did good, Bobert." Gumball said. After all, shouldn't every robot get his day?

"Gee, thanks guys. And Anais…I'm sorry. I guess I got a bit carried away, there…"

"Aww, it's all right, Bobert." she said, moving in to give him a hug. When she did, Bobert's eye turned red and he squeezed her, _hard_.

"_I know what actually happened. You reprogrammed me to crash up there. You must be terminated._" Bobert increased the pressure, fully intending to break every bone in her body.

"Whoa!" Gumball ran up to the crazed robot and shut him off. Anais fell to the ground, gasping for air.

As soon as she recovered, she lifted up a desk, and with her mother's strength and rage, she charged at Bobert.

"Whoa there, sis!" Gumball stopped her. "No need to get violent; we'll just reset his memory, okay?"

Darwin hit Bobert's reset button, then rebooted him.

"Hey, Bobert! What'd you think of the field trip to the museum?" Gumball asked casually.

"Confusing. The way organics praise abstract paintings that a four year old could have made is strange."

"Mmhmm, mmhmm." Gumball nodded. "Well, let's get on with the post-field trip pizza party!"

The class cheered.

As the party went on around him, Bobert's eye turned red again.

_"You win this round, Anais…_"

* * *

After school, as Gumball, Darwin, and Anais walked over to their father's car…

"Hey, Gumball! Wait up!" Penny shouted, running to catch up with him. Carrie followed her hesitantly.

"_H-hi Penny!" _Gumball greeted her, nearly fainting.

"_Hey._" she replied flirtatiously.

Carrie followed up behind her. "Hi, Darwin…"

Darwin smiled, acknowledging her.

Anais saw where this was going – she had heard their conversation on the first day. "I'm gonna go wait in the car…" she said, winking at Gumball. He didn't notice, though.

"So…" Penny began. "I've got these tickets for this concert tonight…interested?"

"Sure! I-er…" he looked at Darwin. "_We _would love to go!" Gumball said, disappointed that he wasn't getting any alone time with Penny.

"Great! So me and Carrie will pick you guys up at 8:00, okay?"

Gumball lit up at the mention of Carrie. Maybe he _would _get some time alone with Penny, after all. He remembered Darwin kissing Carrie last Halloween…so with Carrie distracting Darwin…

_Wow. _Gumball thought. _Penny's smart._

Gumball practically skipped over to his father's car. Darwin didn't share his enthusiasm – it seems he doesn't like Carrie as much as Gumball likes Penny. But he was still excited for the concert.

"Hey, boys! Who were those girls?" he asked.

"Oh, just two friends. We're going to a concert with them tonight!" Gumball replied.

"Oooh, a concert! How romantic! Did I ever tell you about all the times I took your mother to a concert?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, there were a lot of them. Just be careful – kids nowadays do crazy things at concerts. Like those…those 'smosh' pits, and grinding…and marrowana…" Richard shivered. "I remember the good old days, when all you did at a concert was scream your lungs out..."

His dad went on and on about concerts, but all Gumball could think about was his upcoming date with Penny…

* * *

**A/N: Whooo! Second chapter's done! It's a bit shorter than the last one, but eh. I'm thinking the average length of each chapter will be about this long. Anyway, all reviews/criticism/grammar-correcting/anything would be much appreciated! Thanks!**


	3. End of the Beginning

It was 7:30. Just half an hour more until the girls showed up. Gumball was sitting on the couch with Darwin.

"So…almost feels like a double date, huh?" Gumball asked.

"Not really, since for a double date to happen, there has to be two couples. And you and Penny aren't a couple!" he replied innocently.

"Well, not yet. But what about you and Carrie? You two seemed to hit it off at the Halloween party…" Gumball asked, trying to convince Darwin to give him and Penny some alone time.

"Yeah…but the next day she told me to 'never try and kiss me again'…" Darwin said glumly.

"Oh…" _Guess I won't get to hang out with Penny alone tonight, then…_ he thought.

They sat in silence until the doorbell rang. The two of them stood up and went to greet the girls.

"Hi Gumball, hi Darwin!" they said cheerily. They were dressed like they normally were – Carrie, with her skull bow, and Penny with her sneakers and wristbands. Gumball and Darwin, on the other hand…

Gumball wore a fancy black tuxedo over a white dress shirt, topped with a matching black bow tie and matching black formal pants. Darwin wore a similar outfit, custom fit to look almost normal despite his long legs and lack of a body.

The two groups looked stunned at each other's appearance.

"Um…you guys know we're just going to the _school _concert, right?"

Gumball didn't know that. But he certainly didn't show it.

"O-oh yeah. You know, I just like getting dressed up sometimes…" he lied.

"Where'd you get those anyway? They look expensive!" Carrie commented.

"Dad has this magic plastic card that we can use to buy things!" Darwin said cheerfully.

Carrie and Penny just stared at them. It was a wonder they hadn't gone bankrupt, yet.

"Well, shall we start walking?" Gumball finally asked.

With that, the foursome walked out the door and towards the school.

* * *

The school looked the same as ever on the outside. On the inside it looked…as though the decorator was on a tight budget…

The tables scarcely had food; the "punch bowl" was a garbage can that was washed, and instead of punch, there was water. The chips were cheapo knock-off brands like "Way's", and "Duffles", which basically tasted like cardboard. And the sculpture was a disfigured clay statue that some sixth grader probably made in art class…

They had hoped at least the performing band would be good, but…

"Hey, everyone! I'm Razor, and this is my band, the _Death Skull Deathfaces!" _the guitarist/lead vocalist said as his band finished setting up. Gumball recognized him – it was the guy Clayton made up and used as a scapegoat when he destroyed the locker room. Razor, despite his cool name, was a scrawny green and purple kid with long, black, greasy hair and a pink sweater. His voice sounded totally lame, and it was obvious their music was going to be even lamer. The only reason Gumball didn't up and leave is because of the girl who invited him here. Speaking of whom…

"Sorry the concert turned out lame, Gumball…" Penny said.

"Eh…it could be worse…I could be here alone, for example."

Penny blushed. Suddenly, they heard a gruff voice. "Hey. If you're lookin' for some _real _fun…" It was the bomb guy that Gumball met in detention – Bon, his name was? He looked like he was up to no good.

"Oh, _you." _Gumball said contemptuously. "Sorry, man, but your personality is way too explosive."

"Ha-ha, 'cause I'm a bomb, right? You think yer funny, kid? Huh? Do ya?"

He started flicking Gumball on the head. Gumball was on the verge of exploding himself, but Penny grabbed Bon's hand. "I think you should leave. _Now_."

Bon yanked his hand out of her grip – it was surprisingly hard! "Hmph. Lucky your girlfriend is there to hold your hand. As soon as she's gone…" he made a hissing sound to imitate him lighting his fuse, then made a mock exploding sound. He walked away.

"Thanks, Penny. For the record, though, I could've taken him…"

Penny giggled. "Now, didn't he say I was holding your hand?" she said, extending hers.

Gumball did the same, and they held hands. Penny blushed as a goofy smile plastered itself on Gumball's face.

"Hello, kids. Glad to see you're enjoying the concert!" a silky voice behind them said – Mrs. Walters, Gumball was easily able to identify.

"Hi, Mrs. Walters!" they said in unison.

"Whoops, can't chat!" she said, eyeing Banana Joe throwing peels all over the dance floor. "Banana Joe, stop that this instant!"

Gumball and Penny just shrugged at each other.

Before long, the concert started, and it surprisingly wasn't that bad. Darwin bobbed his head to the beat; Carrie did the same nearby as she worked up the courage to ask him to dance.

Gumball couldn't dance, and he knew it. But when Penny asked him to…

"Hey Gumball. Wanna dance…?" she asked shyly as the band played a slow song.

Gumball wanted to say no, but the way she looked at him twisted up his vocal chords.

"Hazdf wjasdf asldfj asdfs…" he mumbled incoherently.

"Wha?"

"What, are you kidding? I thought you'd never ask! I'm the best dancer in all of Elmore!" he blurted out, silently cursing himself.

"Well, great!" she put her hand on his shoulder; he put his on her waist. Nervously, he raised his left hand out and bent it upwards for her to grab.

_Please don't mess this up…PLEASE don't mess this up…_ he whispered to himself over and over.

The two of them stood, close together. Penny was synchronizing herself with the beat; Gumball pretended to do the same. Eyes closed, Penny spoke. "Ready?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" Gumball replied quietly.

With that, Penny lurched backwards, gracefully performing the first step of the waltz. Gumball, who had no idea what the waltz was, let alone how to dance it, stumbled clumsily after her. Penny still had her eyes closed as she flew across the ground in perfect harmony with the music. Gumball continued to stumble after her. After a while, though, he started learning the flow of it.

_Whatever Penny's doing, just do the opposite,_ he observed.

And so whenever Penny took a step back and to the left, he took a step forward and to the right; whenever she stepped forward and to the right, he stepped backward and to the left. His movements were robotic, formulaic, stepping forward and backwards, forward and backwards, never daring to do more.

"Close your eyes…" Penny whispered, apparently aware of Gumball's terrible dancing the entire time. "Just let the music guide you…"

Gumball did as she said; at first, he went back to stumbling. He couldn't see where he was going, after all. But soon, he _did _feel the music, and it guided him, just as Penny said it would. The whole world faded away, and he was left in an empty white room with the only thing that mattered at that moment: Penny. The cheesy love song the middle school band played was gone; what replaced it was an angelic choir. Together, Gumball and Penny flew around the room. Gumball could no longer feel his legs – they had disappeared. He was literally floating, flying, zooming across, still keeping in time with the music.

He looked into his lover's eyes; she did the same. They both leaned in for a kiss, but…

* * *

**BOOM!**

An explosion rocked the school building. The band stopped playing, but the music kept going. Everyone gasped.

"Lip singers!" someone shouted, and they were booed off the stage.

"Huh, I was wondering how a guy with that kind of voice could've sung rock." Darwin commented.

Gumball was more curious about the explosion. As the crowd continued to boo, flames crept into the room – fire!

"FIRE!" someone shouted. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"

"FIRE!" everyone panicked and started running for the nearest exit.

"FIRE!" in the confusion, Gumball had lost Penny. He looked around, but finding her was impossible with this much confusion. Someone shoved him to the ground.

"FIRE!" It was like that was the only word anyone there knew.

"Gumball!" Penny cried weakly. Gumball honed in on the sound of the voice. "Over here!"

Gumball ran over to her, wondering why she wasn't running out the door. To his utter horror, he found out why.

One of Penny's legs was pinned under one of the speakers. Try as she might, she just couldn't shove it off. Gumball tried to help push it off, but even combined, their strength wasn't enough. The flames crept up closer to them.

"Help! Somebody, help!" Gumball cried, hoping one of the stragglers would stop and help her. None did, and soon, it was just the two of them in the auditorium.

"Gumball…" Penny said, coughing from thick smoke enveloping them.

"Don't worry, Penny! I'll get you out!"

"Gumball…just go…I'll be fine…" she said weakly.

"No way, I'm not leaving you here!" he shouted. He continued pushing against the stereo as hard as he could, but it refused to budge.

Suddenly, a flame licked his tail. He jumped up and shouted in pain; despair washed over him as he looked to see how close the flames were. Two steps away was a huge wave of fire, ready to wash over the two of them. He panicked and resumed pushing.

Maybe it was the sense of urgency, or maybe it was the stakes, but Gumball was actually able to budge the stereo an inch. His mouth widened when he saw what he had done. "C'mon, Penny! It's actually moving now!" he called, but to his utter despair, Penny was unconscious, likely from a combination of extreme pain and inhaling smoke. With renewed vigor and panic, he continuously slammed his shoulder at the obstacle. As soon as it was off of her, Gumball lifted her up and ran as fast as he could out the door.

As he emerged, Darwin and Carrie greeted them with excited expressions.

"There you guys are!" Darwin yelled out. He noticed that Penny was unconscious. "What happened to Penny?!"

Gumball coughed because of the smoke he had inhaled. "She…she got stuck…" he wheezed.

Darwin helped him gently lay Penny on the ground.

They stood there, wordlessly, until the paramedics came.

* * *

Gumball watched silently as the ambulance drove off with Penny. There was still mass confusion around him – people talking about what caused the fire, or who.

"Maybe the band was gonna use fireworks in the show?"

"Probably an electrical failure. School wasn't meant to be active at night."

"An accident at the chemistry lab, perhaps?"

Gumball didn't care; as Darwin chatted with Carrie about something, he slipped off into the night.

As he walked around the empty school campus, a gruff voice filled his ears.

"So…how was the dance?" it asked sarcastically – it was Bon, the bomb guy. Bon Bomb. He was leaning against the wall, shadows covering half of his face and most of his body.

"Wouldn't _you _like to know…" Gumball replied, annoyed, as he continued walking.

"Oh, I _would_." Bon stepped out in front of him, obviously looking for trouble.

Gumball just scoffed and began to turn around when he noticed something…off about the bomb guy.

His fuse was gone, and smoke poured out of his head; not only that, but his head was a lot smaller than usual. That could only mean one thing…

"You…_you caused the fire!_"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." he said nonchalantly. "You know me and my _explosive _personality, right?"

He laughed. He laughed the laugh of a villain, knowing full well of what he had done; he may not have actually known he sent Penny to the emergency room, but he sure laughed like it.

The laugh is probably what did it. The vile, despicable, _evil _laugh.

Something snapped inside of Gumball. He charged at Bon, unsheathed his claws, and swung. His first hit clean missed, but the second slashed his shoulder. Bon just smiled and swung a fist out at Gumball, hitting him square in the jaw. The boys continued to swing and slash and punch at each other for a full minute when a voice called out to them.

"Gumball? Gumball, where are you?" It was Darwin.

Bon knew a 2 on 1 fight wouldn't work out so well for him, so he strategically withdrew himself from the battle as Gumball searched for his friend.

"Darwin! I'm over here!" Gumball cried out. Suddenly, he remembered he was still in a fight. But when he turned around, Bon was nowhere to be found.

"Gumball, there you are!" Darwin said, turning the corner. Carrie followed nearby. He noticed his bruised and swollen face. "Whoa, what happened?" he asked.

Gumball spat out a tooth. "Bon. I got into a fight with him. He's the one who started the fire…"

_…And sent Penny to the hospital,_ he thought to himself.

Darwin seemed to read his mind. "Dude, he's not worth it."

Gumball remained silent. Suddenly, a car turned around the corner. Gumball expected it to continue down the road, but it stopped. The door opened, and Mrs. Walters stepped out.

"Kids? Gumball, what happened?!" she exclaimed.

"I…got into a fight." he stated bluntly.

She sighed. "Hop in. I've got medicine in my apartment."

* * *

The drive was two minutes long. The kids stepped into Mrs. Walters's apartment. It was quite small – it was a studio apartment. There were only two rooms: the combined living room/bedroom/kitchen, and the bathroom.

"You can have a seat on the sofa, if you want." Mrs. Walters said as she headed to the bathroom in search of her first aid kit. The kids took a seat on her elegant white sofa.

"So..." Gumball whispered to Darwin as his teacher shuffled through the bathroom cabinet. "how did things with you and Carrie go?"

"We both agreed to just stay friends," Darwin replied.

He looked over at Carrie and smiled. She smiled back.

_Heh, friend zoned... _Gumball thought.

Before they could say anything else, Francine stepped out of the bathroom with a white box. With great care and delicateness, she cleaned and treated Gumball's wounds.

"Okay, now just hold this bag of ice over your eye." she said as she finished. Gumball did as he was told.

"So this house is pretty small for a married couple…" Carrie commented.

"Oh, I live alone." Mrs. Walters replied, pouring herself a drink.

"Oh. Huh." _So where's Mr. Walters, then? _Carrie thought but didn't ask.

"Would any of you like some juice?" Mrs. Walters asked, holding up a pitcher of apple juice.

"Sure!" the kids replied enthusiastically.

As Mrs. Walters came back to the sofa with the tray of drinks, Gumball asked a question that's been on his mind. "So is Penny going to be all right?"

"Yes, I believe the hospital said she woke up by the time she was admitted." Mrs. Walters explained. "She's just going to need a few days of rest."

Gumball heaved a sigh of relief.

They sipped their drinks in silence for a while. Darwin was the first to speak.

"So…some first two days this has been, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah…" everyone said wistfully.

Mrs. Walters raised her glass. "To the new year?"

"To the new year!" the kids responded, and they clinked glasses and drank.

* * *

**Ahhh, this chapter turned out dark, or attempting to be dark anyway. I'm hoping next chapter I'll be back to the cheery school life. Anyway, thanks for reading! Any and all reviews would be much appreciated, as always!**

**Oh, and I just figured I'd take a few moments to sort of briefly review the characters I made up. I'm not too big on OC's, I mostly just add them when the story calls for one. Like Mrs. Walters, for example. Having Miss Simian as the homeroom teacher would've sorta restricted me to keeping her as in character as I could. Which would've made it harder to write for Anais's introduction to eighth grade. Or, for me, anyway.**

**Anyway, here're the characters you probably wouldn't be familiar with from the TV show:**

**Mrs. Francine Walters: the main English/History teacher at Elmore Junior High. I basically based her off of Francine from Animal Crossing lol. Mrs. Walters is a white bunny with blonde hair that usually wears a blue jacket with a white polka-dotted hood and a skyblue checkered vest and matching skirt over a white top. She's very smart, having graduated from the University of London with a Master's in Education. She cares a lot for her students, being willing to help them anytime, anywhere.**

**Mr. Doctor Professor: the main Math/Science teacher at Elmore Junior High. Doctor Professor is, by far, the smartest person in the entire school. Having Ph.D's in subjects like Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, he's probably more than qualified to dethrone Principal Brown. The only thing stopping him is his love of teaching.  
I had the scrapped teacher (meaning, the teacher that was originally going to be on the actual show, but they removed him) "The Professor" in mind when designing this character. I also sort of added some of my favorite professor's personalities, too lol.**

**Brain: a literal floating brain and brain stem. He's a smart kid, a bit boring, and a bit overconfident in his abilities sometimes. Oh, and he's neutral on most arguments. ****I had those brain guys from that one Jimmy Neutron movie in mind when describing this guy. He's also a sort of reference to Brain from Arthur :p. He probably won't show up that often. I just used him as a background character in Anais's classes.**

**Bon: the bomb guy from The Lesson. He's bad to the bone, having broken out of detention several times. This year, he seems eager to bring his misdeeds to the next level... I was originally going to name him "Bob" because y'know, "Bob Bomb" or "Bob Omb" from Mario. But Bob doesn't seem like a very threatening name, so I used Bon instead. Bon Bomb, like Bon Bons! Also, he's not really my character, he was actually on the show. I just sort of gave him a name.**

**Frank and Beans: the two eggheads. They're pretty much the same guys from the show - I just gave them names so I didn't have to keep referring to them as "the eggheads". James Lamont (writer of the show) said that this was their name on his formspring, but it's not official, since he might've been joking.**


End file.
